Air rage drunk faces jail over disturbance during flight

An air rage drunk is facing jail for spitting in the face of a female flight attendant after being tied up for the protection of other passengers.

Khalid Mir, 39, was arrested last November after crew on an Emirates jet were forced to put a mask over his mouth and restrain him during a seven-hour flight from Dubai to Birmingham.

Mir, who had been downing duty-free vodka, was strapped to a seat after hurling drinks over passengers and airline staff following a row with a woman sitting in front in him.

A hearing before magistrates last month was told the 39-year-old, of Havelock Road, Saltley, Birmingham, spat at and racially abused an air stewardess who tried to give him a drink through a straw.

The married father pleaded guilty to being drunk on an aircraft and failing to obey the lawful command of the jet's pilot, Alan McIntosh.

Mir, who has more than 50 previous convictions, will be sentenced on Wednesday at Birmingham Crown Court.